Varied Programs Will Open 2005 At Seven Angels Theatre

WATERBURY — Seven Angels Theatre will continue its trend of presenting exciting and relevant works as 2005 gets underway with award-winning plays, historical and local dramas, a concert to stir all the senses, and a “swinging” weekend of music.

First up, two exciting acts will be presented in one great evening of theatre on Saturday, January 22, at 8 pm. Tickets are $25.

Act One, Ophelia’s Mother, by the award-winning playwright Rosemary Foley, stars Tony Award nominated actress Lenka Peterson, Canadian Oscar-winner Glynnis O’Connor, Travis Branch, Jason Nunes, and Barbara Wilkov.

This dynamic staged playreading centers on the comedic turn of events which occurs when a daughter takes her mother to a production of Hamlet. But it’s definitely not the Hamlet audiences expect.

Moving from comedy to historical drama is Hot Licks, the second act of the evening, offering the true stories of the “Radium Girls” at the turn of the 20th Century. The nationally-acclaimed Judy Dworin Performance Ensemble will present the untold sagas of the clock factory workers in Waterbury, New Jersey and Illinois through images of dance, music, video and acting.

During the early 1900s, radium was deemed the miracle cure for all ails. Scientist Marie Curie’s invention is scrutinized in this poignant depiction that establishes names and faces for the young women who were stricken with cancer from painting watch dials with their lips in workshops across the country. Real-life survivors and their stories are woven into the production, adding to the show’s authenticity.

Top accordion performers including The K Trio, The CT Accordion Association Orchestra, Anita and Bob Siarkowski, 19-year-old champion Christopher Gorton, Mary Tokarski and Joanna Petrulis, and Walter Lawrence will take patrons on a journey next weekend that will change everything audiences have ever thought about this unique instrument. Seven Angels and The CT Accordion Association present “Waterbury’s Tribute to the Accordion: Then & Now” on Sunday, January 30, at 2 pm.

Tickets for the concert, which will be conducted by Linda Soley Reed, are $27.50. Ms Reed is president of the American Accordionists’ Association, and conductor of the CT Accordion Association Orchestra.

From February 4 to 6, “The Golden Days of Radio” will whisk fans of Big Band, swing and live radio broadcasts back to those toe-tapping and dancing eras. The show features a classic Big Band onstage and eight amazing singers.

The show is directed by WATR Radio’s Tom Chute, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the USO.

Tickets are $27.50 for performances on Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm.

Group discounts and tickets for the above events are available by calling the box office at 203-757-4676.

Seven Angels is Great Waterbury’s only Equity professional regional theatre. The theater is within Waterbury’s historic Hamilton Park Pavilion, just minutes off I-84 Exit 24 West or Exit 25 East.